As you may have noticed already, the embargo on the new Samsung Galaxy S4 was lifted today, and reviewers from all corners of the web are weighing in on the latest Android flagship. Given that the handset succeeds one of the most successful Android phones of all time, many of you are likely to be itching to find out what it’s like.

We’ve put together a review roundup to give you a snapshot of what those early reviews are saying about the Galaxy S4, and to help you decide whether the handset will be worth your hard-earned cash when it goes on sale in the coming weeks.

Samsung has already explained its love for plastic, and why it chose to stick with it for the flagship Galaxy S4. But after receiving a lot of criticism for that decision, the company’s head of design, Dennis Miloseski, was forced to defend the Galaxy S4’s plastic build once again at Engadget’s Expand conference in San Francisco this weekend.

Good looking, but cheap.

After months of rumor and speculation surrounding the new Galaxy S4, Samsung finally unveiled its new “life companion” at a very peculiar event in New York City’s Radio City Music Hall last night. The device has already received some criticism for looking a lot like its predecessor, the Galaxy S III, and indeed a number of Samsung’s other smartphones.

Fans are disappointed that the Korean company has continued to use plastic for its new flagship — despite a company executive explaining the decision behind this earlier this month — and that it hasn’t switched to more premium materials like aluminum and glass, following companies like Apple, HTC, and LG.

If you’re one of those fans, then you’re going to be even more disappointed when you hear the latest Galaxy S4 rumor, which claims Samsung developed a number of prototypes for the device, then brought the cheapest one to market.

Samsung has launched some of the post popular Android handsets of all time, with its Galaxy S series — which includes the Galaxy S II and the Galaxy S III — selling more than 100 million units. But the devices certainly aren’t popular for their build quality.

All of Samsung’s devices are made of plastic, and although they look good, they don’t feel anywhere near as nice as competing handsets like the iPhone 5, the Nexus 4, and any of HTC’s high-end Android handsets — particularly the new HTC One — which use materials like glass and aluminum to provide a premium feel.

But Samsung isn’t about to change that for the upcoming Galaxy S IV. The Korean company has confirmed it will continue to use plastic, and it has its reasons for doing so.